For Health Professionals

Collaborating with future professionals

Interprofessional education is about preparing students to be able to practice their profession in variety of collaborative team-based health care delivery contexts, the health and social service workplaces of today and tomorrow. This means graduates having acquired the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that foster and support patient/client/family/community-centered care, an appreciation and respect for the roles of other health professionals, and an ability to participate effectively as a member or leader of teams. 

Practising health professionals who are committed to interprofessional collaboration serve as invaluable role models. In addition, they are key partners in developing and implementing interprofessional education experiences for students, their future colleagues and collaborators.

Students doing fieldwork or clinical placements are often at the same site with students from other professions at the same time. This provides an opportunity for interprofessional education experiences that truly bring to life the concepts of patient/family centred-care and collaborative teamwork.

Learn more:

• Read Interprofessional Collaboration in Practice: A Guide for Strengthening Student Learning Experiences - [PDF - 2.1mB]
• Complete Preceptor Education Module 5 - Fostering Interprofessional Learning

Get involved:

Anyone who is interested in interprofessional practice education can become a facilitator – you don’t need to be an expert in any of the professions represented on a student team.  Contact ipe@dal.ca to learn how you can facilitate an interprofessional team at your site.

Watch facilitator Buffy Cooper talk about her rewarding experience as a facilitator for interprofessional education placements.  To hear from other facilitators and students, check out our Success Stories.